The seventh contract meeting between the University Professionals and Technical Employees Healthcare Professionals Unit (UPTE HX) and University of California (UC) took place in San Diego from January 11, 2012 to January 13, 2011. In the end, UC and UPTE HX could not come to an agreement on the length of the contract, with UC wanting a multi-year deal and UPTE HX wanting a deal that will end the contract around July 1, 2013 or earlier.

UC has reiterated their position that they are looking for a long term contract with the University Professionals and Technical Employees Healthcare Professionals Unit (UPTE HX). They wanted UPTE HX to agree to a multi-year contract that included:

1. UC’s new pension proposal, they are now calling the “2013 Tier” but is the 2-tier plan;
   
2. increased employee pension contributions in 2012 (an additional 1.5%) and 2013 (up to 6.5% total);
   
3. a new retiree healthcare plan which will increase costs significantly upon retirement and affect about 50% of our current members;
   
4. the Paid Time Off (PTO) system in lieu of our current vacation/sick benefits to all locations where PTO is offered.

They have restated that they are willing to offer a better wage and compensation proposal than their first proposal in December if we agree to both the 2-Tier pension plan and the PTO. Their proposal did not include experience based steps, little additional market equity, increased evening or night differentials, or stipends for exempts. Their proposals have included eliminating Reduced Severance if laid off; no seniority in layoffs; restrictions on leave to work for the union and even more take-aways.

UPTE HX is not going to accept a long term deal that will include the 2013 2-Tier and PTO. The UPTE System wide Executive Board of Directors (E-Board) has unanimously voted that the HX unit should not accept the 2-tier pension plan and PTO at this round of contract negotiation.

UPTE feels this HX unit will be in a much stronger negotiating position on the 2-tier pension proposal in late 2012 and 2013 when UPTE’s TX/RX units, California Nurses Association (CNA) and AFSME will also be bargaining the 2-tier pension and reduced retiree healthcare plan. The Union Coalition feels that the 2-tier pension will hurt current UC employees as well as future employees hired after July 1, 2013.

Further, the Coalition can’t make a valid counter-proposal on UC’s proposed 2-tier pension/retiree healthcare without having more fiduciary facts on the current pension as well as the proposed second tier pension. This will take time to develop and we do not want to hold up a new HX contract with wage increases for our members until that process is complete.

As a result, the two sides have suspended previously scheduled negotiations on January 23-25. As it stands now, our contract, which was extended for a month, is due to expire on January 31, 2012. Needless to say, the UPTE bargaining team is very disappointed with this outcome.

NOTE: New bargaining sessions have just been set up for February 14-17th at the UC’s offices in Oakland. Your HX bargaining team and activists have come up with several plans to help “encourage” UC to accept a contract that expires by June 30th, 2013 and to also get our members market wages. To help with this last, large push for a fair contract, contact one of the bargaining team members below or your local UPTE representative.

Your bargaining team:
Wendi Felson, Clinical Laboratory Scientist (retired), Chief Negotiator    
Jamie McDole, Case Manager, Davis     
Sonia Palacio, Clinical Social Worker, Irvine      
Tom Brewer, Clinical Laboratory Scientist, Los Angeles   
TK Lee, Pharmacist, San Diego     
Jason Rosenbury, Clinical Social Worker, San Francisco   
Susan Rode, Student Health Centers